Category: Daily Walk with Christ

My First Love

December 4, 2016 by ChristianHolinessDaily Leave a Comment

The first time I saw my wife I looked at her, gulped nervously, and said, “I’m going to marry you.” I said it primarily because she was cooking spaghetti and I hadn’t eaten a homecooked meal in quite some time. Yet, there was much more to it than that. I looked at her long dark hair, her smile, her complexion and I was smitten. On the first date, we talked. And talked. And talked through the entire night. I was in love.

Do you remember your first love? Is the romance as strong now as it was then?

Do you remember when you fell in love with the Savior? When you accepted Him as Lord and King of your life? Is your love and excitement for your God as strong now as it was then?

If not, rekindle that relationship with Jesus. Do it now. Start by fasting and prayer. Dedicate mealtime as God time, and instead of eating, talk to God. Heed the warning given in Revelation; return to your first love.

We’ll Work…

October 29, 2016 by ChristianHolinessDaily Leave a Comment

We are to occupy

One of the most difficult of Christ’s parables is found Luke 19, the Parable of the Minas (also spelled maneh. A maneh of gold was worth more than 102 pounds.). Basically, an incredibly wealthy ruler is called away. Before he departs, he calls his servants and gives them each a portion of his wealth to invest on his behalf.

Those who generated a profit were rewarded accordingly. The one who sat on the money instead of investing it was stripped of all he possessed.

What’s the point of the story? It’s found in verse 13. Occupy until I come.

When my kids were growing up, any time they complained they were bored, my wife would give them a chore to do, just to keep them occupied and out of her hair. My mother would tell me to find something to occupy my time. Both these are good examples of how we have distorted the true meaning of the word occupy. It originally meant something quite different.

The word occupy was originally a military term. It still is. An occupying army is one that has taken its objective, captured territory, and digs in. It is entrenched… literally. It’s always ready to defend its position, always in full armor, and always ready to go on the offensive at a moment’s notice. It works hard to keep and expand its territory.

The NKJV doesn’t use the word occupy, but instead reads “do business until I come.” This is more accurate. This is the intention of the speaker in the parable.

The parable is supposed to teach us two obvious things. First, we have but one life and we should use it to diligently work for our Master. Secondly, we do that work because our reward in heaven will be proportionate with our devotion to Him.

To say that Christ intended that we draw parallels from the military meaning of the word occupy, as we noted above, would be a distortion of Scripture, but it is interesting to note that an analysis of the word is not in conflict with the portrayal of a Christian as a soldier in the Army of The Kingdom of Heaven. This is perhaps why the word was used by early translators of the Bible.

An old hymn makes my point better than I ever could…

O land of rest, for thee I sigh!

When will the moment come

When I shall lay my armor by

And dwell in peace at home?
We’ll work till Jesus comes,

We’ll work till Jesus comes,

And we’ll be gathered home.

– Elizabeth K. Mills

Reach Out and Touch Someone

October 23, 2016 by ChristianHolinessDaily Leave a Comment

For two decades Bell Telephone, and later AT&T, promoted themselves through a campaign with the slogan, “Reach out and touch someone.” One particular spot shows a sad clown calling his mother and transforming into a happy clown, followed by toddlers smiling when they hear a voice on the phone, and a grandmother calling her family, and a marching band crowded around a phone booth to speak with a bandmate who broke a leg. The point was that reaching out to loved ones can change their lives, at least if you do so over a Bell Telephone line.

The point is a valid one: we need to reach out and touch people. We’ve always had outerunrivaled in society. Victims of contagious diseases, the homeless, the mentally ill, the aged, the jobless, the working poor… are all left behind in post-Christian America.

There were no untouchables in Jesus’s mind. He ate dinner with folks considered the dregs of society. He made disciples of tax collectors. His best friends were crude fishermen. He accepted praise and offerings of women of ill repute. He asked assistance of a woman who had had several husbands and carried on affairs. He touched a leper.

If we want to live like Jesus… If we want to be Christ-like… If we want to reach the lost, then we too need to reach out and touch those that may seem untouchable. We need to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, shelter the homeless, find help for the mentally ill, spend quality time with the aged, minister to widows and orphans, and visit the imprisoned.

We need to offer a tender, loving touch to the untouchables.